VFJ’s Thoughts On Josh Heupel

#26
#26
VolFreakJosh said:
I’ll just come out with it....

I didn’t expect Danny White to make this kind of hire when talking about wanting to compete for Championships.

Personally, there was several other coaches I would picked over Heupel but since we’re stuck with him now, might as well try to find the positive:

• He’s willing to take on the NCAA sanctions that’s fixing to come down on this program.

Danny White couldn't have done better because no one else would take the job.
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FYP
 
#27
#27
Here is the long and short of it...a disturbingly large portion of the UCF fanbase is not in the least upset at this development. Check out their forums and comments on Twitter. It's just like when Cincinnati fans were thrilled we hired Butch Jones.

That's typically a sign...no matter what kind of sweet frosting you try and spread on it.
 
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#28
#28
This is not the splash hire everyone wanted but who was really expecting a home run? I am disappointed with how things transpired but JH has my support as a fan. Heupel is now a VOL and deserves a chance to make UT competitive. We have supported multiple coaches during our suck that were less qualified than JH.
 
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#29
#29
kckempf said:
UCF was 11th in 3rd down conversion % last year and 25th in red zone offense. Did Heupel do poorly or was the standard set very high in the 2 undefeated seasons?
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'Boro-vol said:
Here is the long and short of it...a disturbingly large portion of the UCF fanbase is not in the least upset at this development. Check out their forums and comments on Twitter. It's just like when Cincinnati fans were thrilled we hired Butch Jones.

That's typically a sign...no matter what kind of sweet frosting you try and spread on it.
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I guess they just hate winning?

Sounds like a toxic fanbase...hmm
 
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#30
#30
ButchPlz said:
Here's a nice take I just read from a UCF fan. TLDR version- recruiting sucked and the offensive stats are misleading. Sounds like a great fit for a team that needs to rebuild!

I have been a big proponent of wanting Heupel to move on. I don't think his offense works in a way that is productive when taken as a game as a whole. Yes he will get a lot of yards. UCF also struggled in the red zone. UCF was pretty good at scoring from 20+ yards out, but was middle of the pack in red zone TDs. Too many drives would start with Deep ball, HB Dive into 3rd and 8.​
​
The way the offense is supposed to work is that consistent movement and speed don't allow a defense to adjust to mismatches or call in more elaborate plays. THe offense is supposed to force a pretty base defense or take a risk that a defense can call a play without getting a good read on the offense. Instead Heupel will not get in sync and play against their own strategy. They don't give themselves time to adjust to a defense and they fall for the same problems. UCF has a lot of 3 and outs for what is supposed to be an "elite" offense.​
​
In all I haven't been impressed by the offense as a whole. It struggled more at times than Frost did and never seem to come together. UCF would romp over **** teams, but against competitive teams Heupel would lose focus on how to win. With a 2 possession lead he would still go fast to outscore the opponent. Instead of trying to control the ball late and end the game, he would still hurry to give the ball back to the opponent. Instead of using the offense, which was supposedly stronger, he would force the defense into ending the game.​
​
The real breaker for me with Heupel was recruiting. I don't exect UCF to be on par with a good P5, but there is no reason UCF can't be one of the top G5 teams giving the recent success and location. UCF's classes have been driven by defensive value and a couple transfers like Jaylon Robinson and Tre Nixon. Offensively, Gabriel is the only skill player Heupel has brought in as a non-transfer to get a lot of time. Yes it was only year three, but that number is also 1 player. Frost had an advantage of generating players because of the collapse of the team in 2015, but Heupel brought in almost nothing of note besides Gabriel. The last three years have been watching Frost Guys slowly leave and the offense become more and more unstable.​
​
THis year is going to suck terribly for UCF. I'm not really sure what you can do at this point unless you have a target to hit right now, which I doubt you can do without an AD. This is probably going to be interim Randy Shannon while the team searches. I know this is something people are not happy about, but unless UCF is going to pull something great out of their ass it better to roll with this than hire some rando who will take the job and turns out he is terrible. I did want Heupel gone, but that was in Nov/Dec and not in late January.​
​
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How long did you look to find a negative analysis? I put about as much credence in this as 3/4 the posts on this site
 
#31
#31
ButchPlz said:
Here's a nice take I just read from a UCF fan. TLDR version- recruiting sucked and the offensive stats are misleading. Sounds like a great fit for a team that needs to rebuild!

I have been a big proponent of wanting Heupel to move on. I don't think his offense works in a way that is productive when taken as a game as a whole. Yes he will get a lot of yards. UCF also struggled in the red zone. UCF was pretty good at scoring from 20+ yards out, but was middle of the pack in red zone TDs. Too many drives would start with Deep ball, HB Dive into 3rd and 8.​
​
The way the offense is supposed to work is that consistent movement and speed don't allow a defense to adjust to mismatches or call in more elaborate plays. THe offense is supposed to force a pretty base defense or take a risk that a defense can call a play without getting a good read on the offense. Instead Heupel will not get in sync and play against their own strategy. They don't give themselves time to adjust to a defense and they fall for the same problems. UCF has a lot of 3 and outs for what is supposed to be an "elite" offense.​
​
In all I haven't been impressed by the offense as a whole. It struggled more at times than Frost did and never seem to come together. UCF would romp over **** teams, but against competitive teams Heupel would lose focus on how to win. With a 2 possession lead he would still go fast to outscore the opponent. Instead of trying to control the ball late and end the game, he would still hurry to give the ball back to the opponent. Instead of using the offense, which was supposedly stronger, he would force the defense into ending the game.​
​
The real breaker for me with Heupel was recruiting. I don't exect UCF to be on par with a good P5, but there is no reason UCF can't be one of the top G5 teams giving the recent success and location. UCF's classes have been driven by defensive value and a couple transfers like Jaylon Robinson and Tre Nixon. Offensively, Gabriel is the only skill player Heupel has brought in as a non-transfer to get a lot of time. Yes it was only year three, but that number is also 1 player. Frost had an advantage of generating players because of the collapse of the team in 2015, but Heupel brought in almost nothing of note besides Gabriel. The last three years have been watching Frost Guys slowly leave and the offense become more and more unstable.​
​
THis year is going to suck terribly for UCF. I'm not really sure what you can do at this point unless you have a target to hit right now, which I doubt you can do without an AD. This is probably going to be interim Randy Shannon while the team searches. I know this is something people are not happy about, but unless UCF is going to pull something great out of their ass it better to roll with this than hire some rando who will take the job and turns out he is terrible. I did want Heupel gone, but that was in Nov/Dec and not in late January.​
​
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It’s funny how UCF wanted him gone but he lost 5 games in last 2 years by a total of 14 points total. Was t to long ago UCF was 0-12 and now they think they are the next becoming of Alabama or Clemson. They will wish for Frost or Heuple to be back in a couple years when UCF losses even more. They will have players hit the portal after this and its a lot harder to recruit at a Group of 5 school than a Power 5 school.
 
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#32
#32
Our AD is trying to con the whole fanbase with this crap. We arent serious about winning, period. I'll watch on TV but I pretty much know what to expect
 
#33
#33
I'll be interested to see what kind of staff CJH can put together. I remember Mizzou hanging 50 on us when he was their O.C.

We've had 5 winning seasons since 2007 and now on our 6th head coach not including interims and almost as many A.D.'s.

We'll have to earn the right to be picky again.
 
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#34
#34
FLVOL_79 said:
He has done more as a player and a coach than the last 4 coaches we've hired..[/QUOTE
I agree, he has proven more than all our previous coaches hired since Fulmer was fired. We are about to be on NCAA probation and some fans think we are going to get someone like Nick Saban...lmao. I'm tired of all the negativity on here. We have a football coach that is a proven winner, albeit at a smaller school, but he at least is an offensive minded coach, and probably has double the IQ of Pruitt. I just don't understand what this fanbase was expecting during an NCAA investigation.
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#35
#35
ksgovols said:
I'll be interested to see what kind of staff CJH can put together. I remember Mizzou hanging 50 on us when he was their O.C.

We've had 5 winning seasons since 2007 and now on our 6th head coach not including interims and almost as many A.D.'s.

We'll have to earn the right to be picky again.
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Hung 45 on Florida same year.
 
#37
#37
ButchPlz said:
Here's a nice take I just read from a UCF fan. TLDR version- recruiting sucked and the offensive stats are misleading. Sounds like a great fit for a team that needs to rebuild!

I have been a big proponent of wanting Heupel to move on. I don't think his offense works in a way that is productive when taken as a game as a whole. Yes he will get a lot of yards. UCF also struggled in the red zone. UCF was pretty good at scoring from 20+ yards out, but was middle of the pack in red zone TDs. Too many drives would start with Deep ball, HB Dive into 3rd and 8.​
​
The way the offense is supposed to work is that consistent movement and speed don't allow a defense to adjust to mismatches or call in more elaborate plays. THe offense is supposed to force a pretty base defense or take a risk that a defense can call a play without getting a good read on the offense. Instead Heupel will not get in sync and play against their own strategy. They don't give themselves time to adjust to a defense and they fall for the same problems. UCF has a lot of 3 and outs for what is supposed to be an "elite" offense.​
​
In all I haven't been impressed by the offense as a whole. It struggled more at times than Frost did and never seem to come together. UCF would romp over **** teams, but against competitive teams Heupel would lose focus on how to win. With a 2 possession lead he would still go fast to outscore the opponent. Instead of trying to control the ball late and end the game, he would still hurry to give the ball back to the opponent. Instead of using the offense, which was supposedly stronger, he would force the defense into ending the game.​
​
The real breaker for me with Heupel was recruiting. I don't exect UCF to be on par with a good P5, but there is no reason UCF can't be one of the top G5 teams giving the recent success and location. UCF's classes have been driven by defensive value and a couple transfers like Jaylon Robinson and Tre Nixon. Offensively, Gabriel is the only skill player Heupel has brought in as a non-transfer to get a lot of time. Yes it was only year three, but that number is also 1 player. Frost had an advantage of generating players because of the collapse of the team in 2015, but Heupel brought in almost nothing of note besides Gabriel. The last three years have been watching Frost Guys slowly leave and the offense become more and more unstable.​
​
THis year is going to suck terribly for UCF. I'm not really sure what you can do at this point unless you have a target to hit right now, which I doubt you can do without an AD. This is probably going to be interim Randy Shannon while the team searches. I know this is something people are not happy about, but unless UCF is going to pull something great out of their ass it better to roll with this than hire some rando who will take the job and turns out he is terrible. I did want Heupel gone, but that was in Nov/Dec and not in late January.​
​
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Well, it WAS posted on the internet…so it MUST be true…. Right? Er, whatever….

With that said, I think the great majority of us were underwhelmed at the time of the hire, but willing to give the new coach a fair chance. And it’s nice to be pleasantly surprised after the past 15 years in the wilderness.
 
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#39
#39
Heup has this team believing in itself, each other, in him and his system. That can go a long way in overcoming what you don’t have in talent. I thought the overtime win against Pitt was good for the team. Thought the same about how the Florida game ended. Which brought us to yesterday. Win or lose this team is ready for the third Saturday in October
 
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#42
#42
My wife is the VFL and she felt underwhelmed at the hire when it was announced. I think if I can paraphrase her feelings were how can hiring a HC from a minor league conference be seen as an upgrade. I was more like give him a chance and let's see what we get and I'm not the Alum. Well I think I see her coming around to thinking this may be a good hire. We both commented how even the Defense looks so much better, and when we put that side completely together watch out!
 
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#45
#45
dduncan4163 said:
I'm enjoying the hell out of them. How bout you
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Yessir. You betcha. Early emotional reactions often look foolish I guess.

I think looking back I was concerned ADDW had taken the easy way out. It didn’t take me long to come around. I had liked Heupel as a QB at OU, and had seen what his offenses did at OU and Mizzou. The fact was/ is that no matter how emotional many of us were at the time, Josh Heupel was the most accomplished and experienced guy we’d hired since Coach Majors. I’m proud to say I got on board pretty quickly…long before his first game, as I really looked at his resume and what his offense is capable of.
 
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#50
#50
I wasn’t upset at the hire, but I wasn’t jumping for joy. I was fully aware that Heupel’s record at UCF wouldn’t have sloped downward had Dillon Gabriel not been injured. I think they were 5-1 before he got hurt and then lost the next 5 or something like that.

I thought it was probably the absolute best hire we could make at that specific point in time. After Pruitt, I didn’t think anyone would touch us with a 10 foot pole.

At the same time, I wasn’t pumped up about it for the same reason… because Heupel was the best we could do.

Looking back on it, it was foolish. Bama moved mountains to hire Saban, but he was a mercenary at that point. All the fawning over Gruden (I’m as guilty as the next guy) was ridiculous.

Good coaches are good coaches. Look at UGA. Richt and Smart had no HC experience when they were hired. Auburn hired Malzahn from Tulsa (though he had the ties to the school from his time with Chizik). Urban had been at Utah when Florida hired him (and before they joined a P-5 conference).

It just shows that you don’t need to pull a USC/Lincoln Riley to come out on top. For boosters at schools like Texas and LSU, it’s about ego. They think it’s a win to steal a big name coach, but big name coaches come with egos and baggage from their previous success. They aren’t open to adapting to their new environment.

You are going to strike out occasionally with an up and comer. Butch is a prime example (Hamilton should’ve been canned the moment he even suggested Dooley over Sumlin or leaving Cutcliffe out because of staffing demands- Dooley had nothing on his resume to say he had what it took to coach here). Many traditional powers have made boneheaded moves like it (look at Bama pre-Saban) and come out on top. Hopefully it’s a lesson we’ve all learned.
 
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